Cry
by Aiyatsuki
Summary: [Pulling Jin up by the collar of his kimono, he slammed the ronin into the wall, “Do you still love her? Tell me! Tell me, you bastard!”] After a heated argument, things start to happen that may change Mugen and Jin's lives forever [MugenxJin] !DROPPED!
1. Chapter 1

**Warning: **Shonen-ai (and perhaps some yaoi in upcoming chappies) so if you don't like boy x boy, don't read

the pairing should be obvious... -stares at blank faces- ...MugenJin... baka...

**

* * *

**

The night whispered of dark secrets as the moon, piercing a hole in the sky, bathed the roads in a gentle silver light. Things had happened that day that could not be undone; Things that would be regretted forever. The seconds ticked by as drop after drop of crimson fell to the earth. His legs trembled. He stumbled. He coughed. And all over him, tiny roses blossomed, painting streaks of red across his bare chest. His breath came out short and his vision blurred. He was reaching his limit… no, he probably already did. But he couldn't fall… not now, not here.

Somewhere in the shadows, a figure rustled past, leaving behind an echoing laugh, soft and menacing. Where was he? In what direction was he coming from? Mugen no longer knew… He tried to focus his senses, tried to pinpoint the laughter, tried locate something, anything… but it was all too dark and his mind was all too numbed by the pain shooting through his body. Was this really the end?

There was a low hum, a whistle of wind, two quick steps, and before anything could register, a silent blade sliced a trail of rose petals down the samurai's back. It all took no more than a second yet it took Mugen until his body gave out and he found himself on the ground, gaze traveling aimlessly down the endless road, to finally understand the state his body was in. An indescribable pain shot up his spine as the blood gushed out. He would have screamed had he any energy left but instead, his mind shut down, dropping him into a peaceful darkness.

- - - - -

The wind rapped violently against the windows, throwing massive raindrops against the glass. Pounding. Pounding. How long had it been? An hour? Two? Fuu sighed, looking despairingly at the outside world. She didn't like storms. But what she didn't like even more was being stuck in a dark, candle-less room with her silent samurai companion while there was a storm. It made everything seem so lonely. Compared to when they first started their journey, Jin had indeed opened up and become a lot less taciturn and aloof, but today, he was back to being his old self… perhaps even worse than his old self, if that was possible.

Heaving another great sigh, Fuu turned away from the window and stared into the shadowy darkness of the room. Somewhere in the far corner was a blotch of black, barely noticeable amidst all the grays. Cross-legged as always, Jin had been sitting there ever since last night and never once had he moved an inch. His expression was blank, his posture slightly slouched, and his eyes fixed rigidly on the hilt of his sword. Earlier, Fuu had tried to spoon-feed him some lunch since she figured they'd probably go hungry again once they left, but to no avail. The ronin didn't spare her a single glance and she wasn't about to pry his mouth open to make him eat.

To make things worse, Mugen still hadn't come back. He had run off some time last night. In fact, everything had started last night and Fuu was certain that it was not just a coincidence. Something must've happened between the two. Something really bad. She could tell just by the way Jin was acting.

Sure, he was silent all the time and so, this shouldn't have seemed abnormal in any way. But there was something…_odd_ about his silence today. Fuu could _feel _it. Unlike his usual indifferently composed silence – this silence was that of extreme bitterness and misery mixed with a hint of regret. It was such an odd clash of emotions and for such an emotionless guy, that she couldn't help but notice.

"Jin…" Fuu paused and shook her head. It was useless. She had already tried to break his deathlike demeanor a thousand times over but all in vain. It wasn't likely to start working now. Silently, she turned back to the window and stared out at the rain-drenched town once more, which now seemed to melt with each new wave of rain.

- - - - -

Jin's gaze had not wandered a millimeter since the end of last night's ordeal. It was the same stitch in the same seam of the same cloth that bound the same hilt of the same sword. But then again, it was because he wasn't truly _seeing_ anything. His eyes, his ears, his nose… everything had been shut down and his soul had burrowed deep inside himself, using his body as a line of defense against showing the pain that was welling up in his heart. It was all Mugen's fault, that rash idiot of a samurai who never used his brains. Of course, _he_ didn't think he was wrong… that man never did.

Thinking back, Jin tried again and again to remember how it had all started. Where had their conversation tripped? And every time, he failed to recall. Fights were always like that. They never had beginnings, only endings of hurt and hate and regret.

_"So, you still love her?" Mugen asked, his tone, one of forced nonchalance. But there was nothing the ryuukyu-born could hide from Jin. Just one look in his eyes and the ronin knew everything. _

_"And you?" Jin asked steadily, sitting in his normal cross-legged fashion. _

_"What about?" The brown-haired samurai grunted. _

_Jin looked him over with his naturally composed countenance but, like Mugen, there was a hidden tension in his eyes, "All those prostitutes you've slept with?" _

_"That's different," Mugen said, waving away the accusation as if it was no more than a fly, "it's…" he scratched his head "…not love." _

_"Then what is it?" _

_"…fun."_

_"Fun?" _

_The ryuukyu-born took a deep breath, "Don't make it sound so bad." _

_"So it's good?" _

_"…what's your point?" _

_"I…" Jin's gaze slipped away from the brown-haired samurai. After a moment's pause, "What's yours?" _

_Mugen shrugged, "Nothing. I just wanna know… you still love her, don't you?" _

_"Why do you want to know?" _

_There was an awkward silence. _

_"You…" Mugen pulled himself off the floor and walked around the room a bit "…still owe me that gold." But what was supposed to lighten up the atmosphere came out sounding strange and out of place. _

_"You've never been in love, have you?" _

_"Been in love? Of course I have." _

_"No, you haven't. Otherwise, you'd know that…it's not easy to forget." _

_"Who said anything about forgetting?" _

_Jin paused "…why?" _

_"Why what?" _

_"Why do you always bring her up? What's Shino got to do with you?" _

_"You don't know?" _

_"No." _

_"Don't play dumb." _

_"I'm not." _

_Mugen turned towards the other man, diving into his eyes for the truth behind his ignorance. Did he really not know? An inexplicable anger rose in Mugen, "Damn you! Don't fuck around with me!" Pulling Jin up by the collar of his kimono, he slammed the ronin into the wall, "Do you still love her? Tell me! Tell me, you bastard!" _

_Jin glared back with the same intensity and said simply, "Let go of me, Mugen." _

_But the brown-haired samurai didn't. "Do you still love her?" he repeated. _

_For a moment, the two lost themselves in all the anger and irritation building up in each other's eyes. "Why do you want to know? You still haven't told m-" _

_Without warning, without a single word, and fueled by all too much frustration, the ryuukyu-born pushed his lips onto Jin's. Caught up in a moment's surprise, the ronin's mouth slackened letting Mugen's tongue through. For what seemed like forever, but was probably only a matter of seconds, they were tangled in a fit of passion, Mugen deepening the kiss until it was more painful than fervent. Months of irritation and unfathomable rage came crashing down on Jin and just when the ronin began to grasp what was happening, Mugen pulled away. Without a glance, the ryuukyu-born turned and ran. _

_What had started so abruptly, had ended all too soon… Was left hanging… Unfinished. Had he really left? Just like that? Not a word. Not a glance. Gone? Jin found himself standing against the wall in a dumbfounded silence. Shocked. Confused. …scared. Waiting. Waiting. The seconds ticked by until what had happened turned into little more than a dream-like shred of memory. With his back still pressed against the wall, Jin slid down to the floor and fell back into his cross-legged position._

What? Why? Even now, Jin could not understand any of it. _Do you still love her?_ It echoed in his mind. Why should Mugen care so much? And to… to _kiss_ him? What had it all been about? Somewhere in the back of his mind, it had probably already clicked but the ronin couldn't find where. Was he in denial? And if so, of what?

* * *

_**A/N:** ACK! -covers head for the incoming shower of tomatoes, shoes, fish, and other miscellaneous objects- Plz don't kill me! I know I know, it seems I've killed Mugen but -audience prepares to fire- M-MATTE! Onegai! Take notice of the word "seems". Yes, and look at what I've written at the very top... yeeeeeeees... wakateru?_

_Jin: (prepares to unsheath sword)_

_Me: okokok! So my hinting wasn't as clear as I thought it'd be... To put it simply: Mugen is NOT dead. This is only the first chapter of a **fairly **long story (hopefully) Plz bare with me here and wait patiently for the next installment..._

_Oh and reviews would be nice though I don't think this is long enough to review... _(T-T)

oh and by the way, this has not been beta'd so I bet it's really bad. I already see a paragraph that needs major editing...xP but we all know how lazy I can be... well if you spot an error or find the paragraph I'm talking about andhave some advice, plz tell me. Critique is more than welcome on this one :oD

-Ai


	2. Chapter 2

Atsuga-domo, their host, had sent Fuu out to do some shopping. In fact, Fuu was always running errands for the guy since they had no other way of repaying him. Today, however, was the first time she'd been sent into town. Atsuga usually left all the grocery shopping for himself. Living on the far outskirts of town, it was only natural for the man to want some time among the masses. …but not today. Today of all days, Atsuga found himself stuck in a boatload of work… at least that was what Fuu was told. For all she cared, he could've just gotten tired of going into town.

"Arigatou," Fuu said, absentmindedly, taking the bags of vegetables in hand and exiting the store. The sun, hanging in the sky, seemed to set the entire town ablaze. It was hot and humid and Fuu felt terrible. In the distance, the air, the road, the buildings, everything seemed to waver and dance like the flames of a lighted stove. It was amazing how fast the weather could change here. One day it was pouring and the next, it's as dry as a desert, with a heat wave to match.

There weren't many people on the streets today, most of them choosing to sit in the shade and fan themselves instead. A wise choice on their part, thought Fuu as she wiped her sweat-dampened forehead on her sleeve. She'd be lucky if she didn't come down with a heat stroke before she made it back.

Then again, on second thought, a heat stroke wouldn't be all that bad seeing as how there was nothing all that exciting to return to. Jin still refused to say a word, though he had finally broken his rigid sitting position and agreed to eat a little. It had been two days since Mugen had run off and still there were no signs of him. To tell the truth, Fuu was getting a little worried… but then again, it _was_ Mugen; that womanizing drunkard of a samurai, Mugen… He was more than likely to have found himself a nice prostitute – someone who could keep him company for a few days while he cleared his head. There were far too many times he'd done that and every time, it had worried the hell out of Fuu.

Well, not this time. This time, Fuu would mind her own business and wait patiently for him to return. As for Jin… he was eating, he was moving, and though he wasn't talking, as long as he didn't starve to death, Fuu was fine with it all. Just let the two of them be. That was her new philosophy. Let men be men and kill each other with their own stupidi-

"WAHH!" a ditch in the road caught Fuu's foot and she came crashing to the ground. She had barely enough time to pull herself out of her thoughts, let alone keep a tight hold on her shopping bag, the contents of which were strewn across the ground. "I-Ite…" Fuu winced, brushing the dirt off her scraped knee. Cursing her own carelessness, she picked herself off the floor and began to gather the scattered goods.

"Need some help there, miss?"

"Hmm?" She blinked in surprise and looked up, meeting the eyes of an all too familiar face. They had definitely met before... thin purple lips, a long slender nose, black-gray eyes, and a wonderfully charming smile… his _smile_!

Fuu gasped, the man's eyes widened, and both of them scrambled back in shock "You!"

For a minute, the two of them just stared at each other. It was that Ukiyoe artist from before… but how? Why? Why was he _here_? Hadn't he said something about stowing away to Holland?

"M-mikaeri-chan…" the man said at last, his tone awestruck, "It's really you…"

That's right, now that she though about it,she hadnever got a chance to tell the guy her name before. "Fuu…" she said, "The name's Fuu."

He smiled and nodded, handing her a few tomatoes and a cucumber, "Fuu-chan then."

She stared at him for a moment before taking the vegetables, "Arigatou… I'm sorry, I don't remember your name…"

"Hishikawa Moronobu. It's been a while hasn't it…" He gave a nervous laugh.

Fuu nodded, "Arigatou, Hishikawa-san."

* * *

"What? What do you mean his body wasn't there?" Atsuga hissed into his telephone, "I gave you specific orders to kill him and burn the corpse but instead you leave him on the road? And what's more, now you cant find the goddamn body?" 

There was a faint murmur as the person on the other end of the line tried to explain his failure.

"You want to know _why_ it matters? I'll tell you _why_: because if the fucking government officials found out about this, both of our heads will be on their dinner plates. You understand me? And it won't be just the government. In fact, if Mashimoto-domo found out about this, we'll be in even deeper shit, as hard as that is to imagine. You find that body and find it fast, understand?"

Another string of murmurings, but this time cut short.

"I don't fucking care if it's been two days since his murder! One way or another, you _will_ find me that body!"

Slamming the phone down, Atsuga ran his hand through his hair and took a few deep breaths to calm his temper. This was bad. Two days… Two whole goddamn days… The blood was still there but the body wasn't. There were no new footsteps, no new tracks, nothing that would possibly give them a lead. This was _really_ bad.

* * *

_Mugen_. It finally clicked. When they arrived in this town, they were rejected by everyone because the people of this town had a fear of outsiders. But then, Atsuga came along and welcomed them with open arms, a gesture they had naively mistaken for generosity. Two days ago, was when Mugen had run off and even now, he still hadn't returned. From the very beginning, Jin had a feeling something was wrong; he'd had a feeling and he'd stubbornly ignored it. And now…now it was too late. It wasn't supposed to end like this. _He_ was going to be the one to kill Mugen, not some hired assassin. …No…Mugen couldn't be dead. His body was missing and the assassin hadn't stayed long enough to confirm his death. 

Moving away from Atsuga's doorway, Jin made a break for their room. He would use the window to spare any unnecessary attention. But what then? He'd search… He didn't know where he'd start but he'd search. Anywhere. Everywhere. Until finally he found Mugen. He couldn't even begin to explain why but it felt as if there were a thousand tiny daggers cutting into his heart. He had only felt this sensation once before and that was when he had pushed Shindo's boat away. But this time, it was ten times more painful, ten times more unbearable.

He would find Mugen and that idiot would be alive. He had to be.

* * *

**A/N: **For all my wonderful reviewers, fav-ers, and watchers, thank you sooo much! I understand it was a long wait and I cant apologize enough! I'm so glad, none of you left me, or if you did, I didn't really notice... -sweatdrop- Well anyhoos, I guess I should explain my long absence (the spelling of which just wont come to mind at the moment...): I've been stuck in a boatload of work lately, and with finals coming up, I'm pretty sure I'll stay stuck. I will try my best in updating monthly, but I cant guarantee it. Weekly is definately out of the question... :-( sry guys! I know this is going to be hard for you, but please please, don't give up on me! Please be patient, and keep reading! I really cant thank you all enough for all the wonderful reviews you've left me and I feel so bad about this but please wait patiently -puppy eyes- xDD lol. Well, I'll see you next month. 

-Ai


	3. NOTICE

Sorry but I lost where I was going with this one so yeah... after coming back from my 5 month hiatus I've decided this is going to be a **drop.** Again, I'm really really sorry :-(

- Aiyatsuki-chan


End file.
